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Grown for its large leaves and attractive patterns of variegation, dumb cane (Dieffenbachia spp.) is a carefree plant that fits any décor. Depending on the hybrid, the plant can grow anywhere from 18 inches to 6 feet tall. You may be able to root a 6-inch tip cutting, but a more sure method of propagating dumb cane is to cut the central cane into small pieces for rooting. Wear gloves when working with the plant because the sap can cause skin irritation. All parts of the plant are poisonous if eaten.

Rooting Mix

Some types of potting soil contain organic matter and most contain nutrients to help plants grow. Unfortunately, under the conditions that encourage cuttings to take root, the organic matter and nutrients promote the growth of fungus that leads to rot. Use a sterile, soilless seed-starting medium to root cuttings, or make your own medium from a mixture of peat moss, vermiculite and perlite. A half-and-half mixture of peat moss and clean builder’s sand also makes a good rooting medium.

Cane Cuttings

Dumb cane roots easily from small lengths of cane. Cut off the cane, leaving a 6-inch piece of the trunk on the parent plant. After removing the foliage, you will see small nodes or eyes along the cane. Cut the cane into pieces about 2 inches long, each having an eye. Lay the pieces horizontally on the growing medium and push them in, eye-side down, so that not more than half the diameter of the cane is in the medium. Keep the medium moist and pot the pieces into individual pots after they form roots, which takes three to six weeks.

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Rooting the Tip

The top section of a cane cutting may not have an eye, so you may not be able to cut pieces to root in the usual way. If you are left with a tip that is around 6 inches long, strip off all but the top three or four leaves and try rooting it in a glass of water. Change the water daily to prevent the growth of bacteria, and keep the water level below the foliage. You should see roots within three weeks if the cutting is going to take. Transplant the cutting to a pot filled with regular potting soil as soon as it has roots.

Parent Plants

After cutting the cane away from the parent plant, all that remains is a 6-inch piece of trunk. The trunk is not likely to regrow; however, small plants called pups will grow around the base of the trunk. Cut the pups away from the main trunk and pot them up in individual pots filled with regular potting soil. Keep the soil lightly moist and mist daily until the pups show signs of new growth.

References

The Complete Houseplant Survival Manual; Barbara Pleasant

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About the Author

Jackie Carroll has been a freelance writer since 1995. Her home-and-garden and nature articles have appeared in "Birds & Blooms" and "Alamance Today." She holds a Bachelor of Science in medical technology from the University of North Carolina.